Plumes of smoke rise from a container ship anchored at Dubai's Jebel Ali port as emergency services try to contain the fire. — Reuters
A fiery explosion erupted on a container ship anchored in Dubai at one of the world’s largest ports late on Wednesday, authorities said, sending tremors across the commercial hub of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The blaze sent up giant orange flames on a vessel at the crucial Jebel Ali Port, the busiest in the Middle East that sits on the eastern side of the Arabian Peninsula.
The combustion unleashed a shock wave through the skyscraper-studded city of Dubai, causing walls and windows to shake in neighbourhoods as far as 25 kilometres away from the port. Panicked residents filmed from their high-rises as a fiery ball illuminated the night sky. The blast was powerful enough to be seen from space by satellite.